August 31, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 89

It was a cold, windy and cloudy day to close out August. The park still pretty much fills up with overnighters. I’m curious how busy it will be this week end for Labor Day.

We didn’t do much today. I ran an errand out at Belt and did a couple of caches out that way. This is an old grain elevator in Belt, MT.

August 30, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 88

Wow! I missed a day. It started raining on Saturday evening and only quit for short periods of time until Monday afternoon.

I don’t remember for sure but I think I only went outside once Sunday and that was to drain the black tank. I’ll say again that on these rainy days it’s very easy to sleep in. Sunday we did get up in time to tune in the webcast of Church service from Oakey Boulevard. The internet connection wasn’t the best and the webcast feed stalled a lot. It’s odd that when we have more than one computer on they aren’t synchronized. The sound is much louder on my desk computer than it is on the laptop or notebook, but it’s fastened down and hard to see from other seats. We usually turn on the laptop so it can be seen and the desk top so we can hear.

I don’t know if I mentioned it before, but Glenna had broken a tooth off her upper denture a week or so ago. On Thursday after she came home I called a denture clinic and made an appointment to take the dentures and tooth in on Monday morning. When we were eating lunch on Sunday I felt something hard in my tuna sandwich while chewing. It was my lower left bridge. This is the first time I ever had one come loose.

Like I said none of us went out for very long on Sunday, in evening we watched the Church services again, but the webcast stopped at the end of the message. It all worked out because we had taken Communion in the morning.

Sean called wanting me to play World of Warcraft, I put him off until after we ate. He said meet him on line, but I never saw him log on. I played for awhile and went to bed.

We were blessed with more rain during the night. It wasn’t a driving rain with wind so sleeping was easy with the patter on the roof.

I couldn’t sleep in on Monday because of the appointment to take my Mom’s dentures for repair. It was really cool out with occasional rain. More like December in Las Vegas than what I imagined August in Montana to be. They said they couldn’t reattach the old tooth. They had to make a new one and attach it, saying it would be done about noon. The lady at the denture clinic gave me the name and location of a dentist nearby. I went there and they made an appointment for me to come in at 12:30.

I ran some errands. There was paperwork to pickup at Missouri River Manor so I did that and thanked them again for their care. I returned some items that Glenna didn’t need to the medical supply store. I then went and found a nearby cache that had been replaced by the owner.

Daring me, I had another tuna salad sandwich for lunch. After brushing my teeth I left and went for the dental appointment. After filling out forms, answering a bunch of medical questions and several x-rays the dentist examined the bridge and my teeth that it had been attached to. The dentist said that the bicuspid had broken off but the structure looked good so he didn’t know why it broke. He also said it could have been broken for a long time and the cement on the molar finally gave away. The options were to make a new bridge or to cement the old one back in place. The first being was the best solution and the second, well second best. He did say that cementing the bridge back in should last for quite awhile. Since we are leaving the area on Monday, I opted for just cementing the bridge back in.

I picked up Glenna’s repaired upper plate. I thought it was ironic that it cost three times as much to reinstall an existing bridge than it did to make a new tooth and put it on the upper plate. I guess it costs more if they have to stick fingers in your mouth.

We just hung out until supper time and then bed time. Gerri fixed a great meal, chicken with gravy and rice, bean salad and fresh corn on the cob.

August 28, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’
Day 86

It was cool during the night and very conducive to sleeping in, which we did. A little afternoon Gerri said she was going to Sam’s another day. So, I went caching to the northwest.

The first cache was hard to find and I had to use two band aids to stop the bleeding from being poked by bushes.

The hunt took me along streams and through fields, some harvested and some not. The last cache was at railroad trestle, billed as one of the longest in Montana.

I started home after the trestle and the way took me through a ghost town, named Collins. Only a couple of buildings are occupied. The others were in interesting states of disrepair. The light was fading so I hope the pictures show what I saw.

Collins Trestle

I got back to the RV Park just before dark and barely had time to eat before Sean called. We played World of Warcraft for a couple of hours before bedtime.

August 27, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 85

I checked our departure date here at Dick’s. We are due out on the 5th, but will pay another day and then go to a park in Ennis for a couple of nights. Then on to Reno and then Napa Valley.

I did five caches south of Great falls today and didn’t find one in Craig.

Gerri fixed spaghetti for supper, it was great.

We watched TV and played on the computers until bedtime.

August 26, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’
Trip Day 84, Rehab Day The Last 49

I went to Missouri River Manor as instructed a little after nine. You know of course the paperwork wasn’t done until after noon. We got back to the RV Park about two. No band, I couldn’t even find a kazoo. Glenna hadn’t been to the coach but one time since June 3rd.

It was in the high 90’s today so we had the air conditioners running and of course Glenna was cold. The weather is supposed to cool down on Friday. Gerri thought it was supposed to cool down today so she fixed bead soup. It was delicious but warm while eating.

We will be here until Sept. 6. We plan to drive around with Glenna in the Jeep to see how she tolerates traveling. If she’s ok with it we will continue the Napa Valley part of our trip after a couple of days in Virginia City, MT.

I did one cache while Glenna was at lunch. I had looked for this one three times. If I didn’t know it was impossible I would swear that someone took the cache away when I was hunting it and put it back when I left. Well, I snuck up on them today and found the cache. I have now done every active cache in Great Falls, Black Eagle, Belt, Cascade, Tracy, Sand Coulee, Ulm Power and Dutton.

Sunset over Gore Hill

August 25, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Trip Day 83, Rehab Day 48

After talking to the rehab center about Glenna’s discharge, they said to be there after breakfast mid morning.

In the afternoon we drove out into the wheat fields looking for Hutterite Colonies. We followed a sign to Big Stone Colony. I think we saw it but it was too far off the road.

We went to Belt and looked around, that didn’t take long. Belt boomed when coal was mined in the area. After touring Belt we went a little further east and I tried to find a couple of caches, no luck.

Following directions from a person we met in Belt, we went south on a dirt road to the Pleasant Valley Hutterite Colony. Four barrack looking buildings and a lot of barns and equipment and all very prosperous looking. We had met Hutterites at farmer’s markets and they were sociable. We also see them at WalMart and Sam’s. The Hutterites are Anabaptists and in many ways similar to Mennonites and the Amish. For information on the Hutterites see;  http://www.hutterites.org/HutteriteHistory/  or http://www.destinationlewistownmontana.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=7

Aerial view of Pleasant Valley Colony

Pleasant Valley Colony

Housing units at Pleasant Valley Colony, there were four of these

I went to see Glenna at about 7, she seemed very sleepy and I was expecting Sean to call and play World of Warcraft. I left about 8. I picked up salads at Wendy’s for our supper. Sean never called.

Today was the 5th anniversary marking the passing of Gerri’s dad and also the birthday of our oldest granddaughter, Kayla who turned 22.

August 24, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 82

This morning I went to the Rehab home to sign Glenna’s discharge papers. She is scheduled to be released Thursday.

I did six caches east of Great Falls. Two near Belt and two near, well near nowhere. For one I drove 12 miles on a rough, muddy and narrow dirt road with occasional cows. About 3 miles from the cache the road turned into a well graded dirt road. I was encouraged when I saw a mini-motorhome parked along the road by Belt Creek. I saw some summer homes that looked like they had been used for a long time.

We went to see Glenna at about 6:30 and to Bingo at 6:45. Between the three of us we had five Bingos. Glenna’s candy supply was replenished.

Before going back to the RV Park, Gerri and I ate at the Amigo Mexican Restaurant.

Since we got to Montana I have found 181 caches and DNF 6. Most of the caches I have found in Montana have been in the Great Falls area. This map shows smiley faces where I have found a cache.

August 23, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 81

I spoke to the social worker at Missouri River Manor this morning Glenna’s planned release date is 8/26, Thursday. I have to go tomorrow and see what the plan for therapy at the motor home is.

Gerri stayed in all day doing wash and I went caching. I picked up four that I had looked for earlier and hadn’t found, plus five others.  The cache in he picture is in a hole drilled in the hunder side of a fence rail.  The container is a 5mm film can.

The hiding place

The container in place

I went to see Glenna at about 5:30. We visited in the dining room until it was time to go to a movie that was being shown in the auditorium. The movie was Sherlock Holmes, a recent release. Pretty weird but Glenna seemed to enjoy it.

Back at the coach, Gerri and I had leftovers. Tomorrow it’s either shop or eat out.

August 22, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 80

Gerri and I tuned into the Church webcast in the morning. After that we went to the Double Barrel Café for a late breakfast. We both had chicken fried steak with gravy.

After breakfast we found a cache downtown that had just been reactivated.

The ache container and log sheet.

Returning the cache to it's hiding place.

We looked for two more that had been found since I didn’t find them. No better luck today.

I went to see Glenna and took her computer. We can’t get wifi in her room so we tuned in the Church webcast in the dining room. The lesson centered around Proverbs 6:6-11; 6 Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! 7 It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, 8 yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. 9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest- 11 and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man. Very interesting lesson on working for what you need using the preceding verses more lessons on avoiding debt.

Sean called me when I got back to the coach and we played World of Warcraft for a couple of hours.

August 21, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 79

I went to the local Jeep dealer this morning to have the rear window on the driver’s side replaced. They had told me it was a two hour job. It took 3½ hours. From there I went to Sam’s to have the new tires put on the Jeep. Before I went back to the coach I did some shopping.

At the coach I put the spare tire cover and the tire pressure senders back on the Jeep. With full tread the tire cover barely fits. After recent rain and a lot of driving on dirt roads the Jeep needed cleaned. So I spent some time doing just that.

We went to visit Glenna from about 6:30 until 8. We planned to go out to supper, but most of the restaurants around here close at 8 or 8:30. After checking the Prospector we found out they had run out of the prime rib. We went by Dimitri’s, another prime rib place, it closed at 8:30. We decided to check a pizza place near the RV Park, It was either that or leftovers. Howard’s was open so we dined on delicious pizza.

Back at the coach we spoke to Todd and the kids on Skype and then just hung out till bedtime.

August 20, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 78

Yesterday I left my cane at a geocache north of town. This morning I went back up that way and did a cache. I drove the dirt loop east of I-15. Of course the cane was at the furthest cache.

Gerri called and she was dressed and ready to go caching with me. I picked her up and we went south toward Cascade. We did four more caches, mostly along the river. I hit one hundred for August. It’s been a long time since I did a hundred caches in a month.

Look out it's behind you.

Prairie Home and Companion

We went to visit Glenna and then had supper at the Fiesta En Jalisco Restaurant.

Rafters on the Mo.

Then back to the coach. I played World of Warcraft with Sean for about two hours and went to bed.

August 19, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 77

The Rain of last night passed and the day started clear and bright. Today I expanded my area of search for area geocaches. There are a lot more along the Missouri downstream but they require a lot of hiking. I did some along I-15 north of Great Falls on about 2 miles by dirt road and I left my cane hanging on the fence. I didn’t realize my loss until it was late and I was heading back to town. Maybe I’ll go back and get the cane. A couple of the caches were along a dirt road and the prairie was very flat.

Wheat

Not Wheat

leave it wher it broke

I went to visit Glenna at about 6:30. We visited and watched TV until about 8:30. The home has scheduled a bus ride around Great falls tomorrow. I spent quite awhile convincing her that it was ok to go with her skid proof socks and no shoes. I’ll find out tomorrow who won the discussion.

Back at the RV Gerri fixed a delicious supper that topped off the day.

August 18, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 76

Lewis and Clark statue.

Another clear day, with only a little haze, I went out caching and the caches I haven’t done are further out from the rv park and several required a walk of over ¼ mile each way. I found one that I had looked for twice before, very creative but I found it. Four of the six I found today were along the Riverside trail that goes along the south side of the Missouri River.

A cache container.

What looks like a stump is actually a cache container.

I went to see Glenna a little before five. I visited with her during her supper and for about an hour afterward.

Gerri and I had planned to go to the Double Barrel café for supper, but when I got home she talked me into Braunschweiger sandwiches instead, plus there was a storm moving through with rain. Nice night to stay in.

Sean was too tired to play Wow tonight.

August 17, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 75

This morning I had an appointment at Lithia Dodge/Jeep to have the left rear window of the Jeep fixed. I got there and was told I didn’t have an appointment. I didn’t take the e-mail confirmation with me. The service writer said appointments weren’t available until the 26th. I repeated that I got a confirmation e-mail and was told that the reservation system has been malfunctioning. The service writer did check to see if they had the parts in stock, they did and she made me an appointment to have the installation done on Saturday morning. I thought of contacting the General Manager and complaining, but am convinced that would result in my being punished by the discovery that the parts weren’t in stock after all.

Yesterday Gerri had opened one of the over the dash entertainment center and a screw fell out of one of the hinges. I found the screw in the entertainment center after I had taken the other screw out to see if I had one like it in my supply of junk. I didn’t. Now, these are machine screws about ¼” long with a head about 1/8” across. You know what’s coming don’t you? When trying to reinstall the screws it takes two people, one to hold the door in place and the other to get the screws in. Getting the screws in requires contortionism. The second time I dropped one, we never found it. It fell by the driver’s seat and must still be down there along with other small things that have been dropped in the area. I digress; after leaving the Jeep dealership I went to Ace Hardware to try to match the remaining screw. It took two clerks about 15 minutes to find a match. I bought two. At 20 cents each and the time to find them, how does Ace make a profit?

While on the east end of town I did eight caches.

When I went back to the coach the saga of entertainment center door continued. After about 45 minutes and dropping the screws a couple of times, I tried taping to the screwdriver, but that 1/16 threaded hole is hard to hit the screw. I resorted to removing the door hinges from the wall. I assembled the door and hinges and reattached the hinges to the wall. Why didn’t I think of the easiest way first?

There are several caches in the area that I was unable to find. After other cachers posted finds I sent e-mails for a further hint. I found five of the six I had asked about, plus another, for a total of 13 today. I may find 100 caches this month, a record for me. One of the caches was along the river and I saw a huge white pelican in the river so I took my camera with me. I took a couple of pictures and realized I need a longer lens, by the time I got to the car the bird had swum around behind an island.

Tuesday is Bingo night at the Missouri River Manor. Gerri and I went at about 6:30 and played with Glenna. Between the three of us we had seven Bingos, replenishing Glenna’s chocolate supply. I also signed her up for a bus ride on Friday. The bus ride sounds like the same thing Gerri and I paid twenty dollars each for a couple of weeks ago.

Sean had called earlier and we planned to play World of Warcraft at 9 PM, 8 his time. He got really tired after about an hour and a half.

August 16, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 74

I’m still on the hunt for new tires for the Jeep. This morning I went to Sam’s. They didn’t have the size I needed in stock, so I ordered them. They said five days. I also made an appointment at the Jeep dealer to check out the left rear window that fell and won’t go up. I have it taped up now. I had this same problem with the same window right after I bought the Jeep. The difference is it was under warranty then. I don’t believe in extended warranties so I’ll foot the bill and still be ahead.

I decided to go for a couple of the caches up river from Great Falls. I walked about a third of a mile to one. Near the cache a Whitetail Deer jumped out of the brush. I’m not sure who was the most startled, her or me. After I signed the log I dropped my pen in the grass and wasn’t able to find it, it was my last stick type pen.

I drove around for miles trying to find the right road to the next one. When I found the place to park I walked .18 miles and couldn’t find it.

Back in town I did manage to get seven for a total of eight today.

I visited Glenna at about 7. We walked down to the auditorium to see what the music group on the activities schedule was about. Diagonally the auditorium is about as far as you can get from Glenna’s room and still be in the building. The musician didn’t show up. Tomorrow night is Bingo.

I picked up salads for Gerri and I from Wendy’s for our supper.

August 15, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 73

I got up early today to go to WalMart to buy tires for the Jeep. I was there on Saturday and knew they had the tires I wanted in stock. This morning I did what I should have done yesterday. I checked the build date. The tires were new but a year old already. I passed on buying them.

Yesterday I lamented not having my camera with me when I did a couple of caches along the river. I took my camera this morning and took the pictures. This one is Mark’s Big Head.

One looking up river from another cache location, and one of Black Eagle Dam and Falls.

We tuned into Church on the web this morning. I think this is the first time there were no glitches.

After Church Gerri and I drove out to the Buffalo Jump State park. It’s about 8 miles north of Great Falls. We saw a large Prairie Dog town and looked over the cliff where Indians drove buffalo over the edge to kill them.

I did a nearby cache and we drove to the visitor’s center. We were able to look back at the cliffs from an area where Tipi’s were set up.

I did another cache near the visitor’s center and we headed back to town. I did a couple of caches in or near the town of Ulm. One was at a trap range the other was near the Missouri River.

I went to see Glenna at about 7 and we were able to tune in the webcast from the Oakey Blvd. Church. We did have to sit in the dining room. The signal doesn’t always come in at her room or the day room across the hall. I took some pictures around the home.

At about 8:30 I went back to the RV Park and Gerri fixed eggs and hash for supper.

August 14, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’


Day 72

We were blessed with more rain during the night and morning. I went to see Glenna during the lunch hour. I always like to encourage her to eat more. Looking at the plates the other residents left she is a heavy eater compared to them. I stayed until about 2 and then went to WalMart to shop for new tires for the Jeep. They wanted me to come back tomorrow to have them installed.

I went out caching grabbing 7 more today. I have to remember to take a camera when I go caching. Today’s hunts took me to a great view of the Missouri above Black Eagle Dam and a great view of the dam and falls looking up.

We went to see Glenna at about 7 and got interested in Jack a Nicholson/Diane Keaton movie. We stayed until about 8:30.

Grandson Sean in Reno called and I played WoW with him for a couple of hours.

August 13, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’


Day 71

It started raining about 11:00 PM last night and continued all night and most of the morning. It was in the low 60’s inside the coach. It rained more in the afternoon. Sometimes the rain was very hard with wind. It seemed that the rain knew when checkout and check in times were. We saw a lot of scurrying around getting hooked up to leave and later incoming RV’ers getting parked and set up.

We talked to Dana and the kids on Skype for quite awhile in the morning. What a couple of live wires. Vanessa will be two soon. She has started calling us Papa and Mimi.

I visited Glenna just after lunch and we watched an old movie on TV, An Act of Violence starring Robert Ryan and Van Heflin.

After hanging out at the RV Park I went to visit Glenna again at about 7. This time we watched another movie with Robert Ryan, The Set-Up from 1949.

August 12, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 70

We didn’t have anything planned until 2:30 when Bingo and Happy Hour was scheduled at the Missouri River Manor.

I went caching and found 8 before it was time to go for Bingo. I got there about 2:00. That allowed plenty of time for Glenna to walk to the auditorium using her walker. The Happy Hour part was snacks and punch. Glenna got one Bingo and I got two. So her candy stash grew.

On the way back to the RV park I grabbed 2 more caches.

We hung out at the coach until about 7 and went back to visit Glenna. Every time we visit we ask what she had at the last meal.. She never knows the total meal.

This is a view of the Sun River from near one of the caches I did today. This is about 5 miles up stream from the RV Park.

August 11, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 69

I went to the rehab center this morning to make sure I wasn’t going to miss a care plan meeting today. I saw Glenna briefly and went caching.

I have had quite a few that I didn’t find in the Great Falls area, so I asked another cacher for hints. Fulltimerbob had found four of them after I couldn’t. With his hints I found all four. One was close to the Moose Lodge in Black Eagle where he is staying. This lodge has hook ups for about eight RV’s and a dump station. I stopped and visited with Fulltimerbob and his wife for awhile. After that I found two others and couldn’t look for another. I went to the area of a cache I hadn’t found before. It’s under a bridge, but there are Trolls or Urban Nomads living there.

In the afternoon Gerri and I went to a Laundromat after that we did some shopping at Sam’s and Albertson’s.

After we got back to the coach, Gerri told me the care meeting was scheduled at three instead of eleven. Since Noelle had told me there was no meeting, I didn’t worry about it. I went and visited Glenna at about 7 until 8:30. We spoke to Todd and wished him a Happy Birthday. It’s hard to believe he is 46.

Back at the coach Gerri and I had supper and just hung out till bedtime.

Great Falls with my phone from a west side geocache.

August 10, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 68

I started the day trying to find out if there was a care plan meeting on Wednesday about Glenna.

Her tentative release date is the 24th. I ask if a home evaluation could be made at the motor home. I was told it could but probably the week of the discharge.

I spent some time cache hunting. I found one that I couldn’t find a week or so ago. I found a total of three and didn’t find four.. Not a good ratio and not many of the cache owners in this area make contact about their caches or check on them very often.

Tuesday night is Bingo night at the Missouri River Manor. Gerri and I got there about 6:15 to allow plenty of time to get to the auditorium from her room. I got three Bingos and Glenna got two and Gerri got one. Her candy cache is built back up. The way they play there are a lot of winners. Bingo is on the schedule again Thursday afternoon, I don’t know if they play this type of game.

August 9, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 67

Today was the day we decided to take a drive to Canada. I downloaded some caches along the route. Away we went north on I-15. It was about 120 miles to Coutts, Alberta, the first town over the border. We saw a lot more Montana prairie with a few mountains in the distance. We stopped for two caches going north, one was a first to find.

Crossing the border was quick with only a few questions. My first cache found in Alberta was only a few hundred feet into Canada, but we had to drive several blocks to get to it. I had the next cache in my Street Pilot so we headed north on Alberta 4. It wasn’t far to the location indicated, a turnout with a Welcome to Alberta sign and some historical markers. I discovered that I didn’t have the cache in my handheld GPSR. While Gerri took pictures of some nearby elk in a field, I searched the few places a cache could be hidden. I found it quickly enough.

We headed further north. As you all realize the scenery doesn’t change much just because you cross a border. What I’m saying is we saw a lot more prairie. Only this time it was Alberta prairie. We went as far north as Milk River. We stopped at a visitor center with a dinosaur display. We then had lunch at a golf club house. Good cabbage rolls. Gerri also bought a Nestlé’s candy bar we had never seen in the USA.

We stopped at a Duty Free store before crossing back into the USA. The only thing we bought way a candy bar for Glenna.

Crossing back into the USA was pretty quick. The agent ask if we bought anything while in Canada, he remarked that it must be a special candy bar since we drove so far to get it.

More prairie on the way back to Great Falls. I stopped for two caches.

We went to visit Glenna at about 6:30 and stayed until about 8:30.

August 8, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 66

We were finally able to tune into the Church’s webcast with very little problem. We had planned to go to the Montana State Fair after church, but a storm cell came through with a lot of wind and some rain. The sky remained gray and threatening looking with wind blowing. We didn’t go to the fair.

At the start of this trip I tried to open the generator slide and it wouldn’t work. Once we were set up in Fillmore, CA I tried it again. It worked that time. Earlier this week when we moved from space 80 to space 139, I wanted to put out our patio carpet which is stored in the generator slide out. The slide wouldn’t operate. The motor ran but the slide didn’t move. Today I remembered that there was some discussion of this problem last month on the American Coach Yahoo group. I checked the archives and found what was recommended for the problem. Apparently the culprit is some air in the hydraulic line that operates the slide. The solution is to open the line and operate the motor for a short period of time. I followed the procedure and sure enough after I reclosed the line the slide worked. Now this may not seem like a big accomplishment for some, I have a purple thumb when it comes to things mechanical so it feels pretty good when I open a can of getting it done. Now if I could just get the solar panels working. I’ll make a call to Kevin and post a description of the problem on the ACC list.

I went to see Glenna at about 6:30. She was sitting on the bed leaning sideways. She said her leg was hurting. I asked if she had pressed the call button for the nurse and told her about it. She had not. The nurse came in about that time with her Tylenol and a new pain patch. I had brought Gerri’s computer and was able to get tuned in to the Oakey Blvd Church webcast. Not much volume on Gerri’s laptop, but we managed to worship with the Oakey congregation and Glenna took communion.

I left the home at about 8:30 to go back to the coach for supper. Gerri had prepared a casserole with egg, ham, cheese and tortillas. It was delicious and made spicy with a little jalapeno hot sauce.

Tomorrow we plan to drive up to a town just across the Canadian border; Coutts, Alberta. We will see what is to be seen. I want to do a couple of geocaches in Alberta which is new territory for me. It’s about 120 miles each way and there are at least three caches along the way in reststops.

August 7, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 65

I started the day by dusting off the Jeep and then cleaning the front of the coach. I hadn’t cleaned the part above the windshield since we were in Coeur d’Alene. I would like to think that is a ¼ done because there are four sides. The truth is that the front and back are less than half of one of the sides and they are easier to get to, no slides to duck under.

I called Glenna to remind her that bowling was scheduled at 10:30. When I got there during the lunch hour she told me she went to the rehab area but there was no one there for bowling. I don’t know if it is in a different place or just cancelled. I stayed until about 1:45 and gave Glenna directions to the area where a movie was scheduled. I did check on location and made sure it would really be shown.

I did three more caches on the way back to the park.

When we went to visit Glenna after her supper I asked about the movie. All she remembered was that Mel Gibson was in it. I printed out cousin Lael’s report on Curtis Ford’s knee operation. Curtis is Glenna’s brother-in-law, married to her youngest sister, Gloria. They live in Corpus Christi, TX.

We went back to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Fiesta en Jalisco for our supper. We got back to the RV Park about 9, the sun had almost set. The sun was very red but no clouds were around it. The days are getting noticeably shorter. I checked the GPSR and decided to do another cache before it got dark. Gerri had to get on her scavenger hunt. The route to this cache took me a little way north on I-15 and I saw the sun going down below the horizon. It was even a brighter red then. I bagged the cache and tried another one, but I don’t do well hunting at night. Well ok, sometimes I don’t hunt well in the day light either.
This is a view from a hill on the west end of Geat Falls.  I din't have my camera, only my cell phone.  The bright spot near the center is the Ferris Wheel at the Montna State Fair.

After church tomorrow we plan to go to the Montana State Fair, it’s the last day of the fair.

August 6, 2010

From Great Falls, MT, N47°29.386’ W111°19.942’

Day 64

Today was Glenna’s appointment with the surgeon for follow up. They took x-rays. Dr. Pike wants to continue partial weight bearing for another two weeks. We have another appointment on 9/3. Otherwise everything is healing well. He did give us copies of the before and after surgery x-rays.

After getting back to the care center a CNA got Glenna soup and sandwich, she had missed lunch.

I went geocaching and bagged five more. This brings my total caches found to 3062, 83 in Montana this year and 80 in the Great Falls area.

Gerri and I went back to see Glenna at about 6 and stayed until about 8:30 before we went for supper at the Prospector Saloon. Good prime Rib and atmosphere inside, looks good outside except it is right across the street from the refinery.

This is another view of the Missouri River at Fort Benton and some old buildings in town.

Grand Union Hotel 1882

MisouriRiver at Fort Benton

Front Street